Like A Thousand Suns
by darkangel9314
Summary: After losing the love of his life and making an attempt on Bonnie's life, Damon travels to New Oreleans and convinces Klaus to erase his memories of Elena Gilbert. Now with an empty hole in his chest and a new vengeance against those who wronged him, will Bonnie Bennett and his brother be able to help Damon out of his evil state or will the Damon they once knew be gone forever?
1. Chapter 1

Like A Thousand Suns

Chapter 1

Damon Salvatore looked over what used to be his town of Mystic falls. Now all it was to him was a toxic wasteland that held a bunch of memories of his one true love Elena Gilbert, but now she was trapped in an eternal slumber so her best friend Bonnie Bennett could live. Some days Damon hated seeing Bonnie, because She reminded him of why Elena wasn't there in the first place.

Sometimes Damon even went as far as regretting his decision to let Bonnie live. The pain was too much for him sometimes and he didn't know how much longer he could live without his one true love by his side, but then her words from their last meeting stuck in his mind and he would find his will to live once again.

Now he knew exactly how she felt when he was trapped in the 1994 prison world. Now he regretted yelling at her about how he would never erase his memories of them together. Now he wished he could if not to ease the pain for the next eight or so decades. There was actually one way to do it, but it would require a trip to New Orleans and to get away from his brother Stefan who had been keeping a close eye on him since Elena's 'death'.

Sometimes his brother's constant presence annoyed him, but at other times Damon was grateful for it. His brother Stefan was probably the only reason why Damon hadn't flipped his humanity switch. That and there mother's ripper status didn't help him what so ever. Damon was more a cautinous killer unlike his mother and Stefan when they flipped their humanity switches off. And they thought Damon had been bad. Ha.

Damon sighed and jumped from the clock tower reminding himself of the last time Elena and him jumped off of the tower before Elena had taken the cure for vampirism and became a human once more. It was one of the happiest moments of Damon's existence. One he couldn't forget, but he refused to let the pain in. He refused to let the hurt in. Pain was for the weak and Damon couldn't afford to be weak at the moment.

It was time for his daily visit and this time would probably be his last. He had made it a habit of trying to communicate with Elena if she let him. Sometimes he thought he would get somewhere until Elena pushed him out of her mind and he would once again be in the crypt where she was being held for safe keeping.

Damon entered the crypt and walked closer to Elena's coffin touching the hard wood and trying to contain his tears. This wasn't fair. How come Bonnie Bennett deserved the chance to live, but someone as kind and as selfless as Elena Gilbert got to lay here in a dusty old coffin for the next eighty years?

Damon couldn't take one more second of it. He had to do this and he had to do this now. He opened his thoughts to Elena as he once again was on the road where they first met waiting for her, but unlike the first time he had let her into his thoughts she didn't appear before him. He just hoped she would be able to hear him.

"I can't do this anymore Elena. I know that I said that I would try to live my life while you were gone, but I just can't. I can't picture a life time that you're not in. Now don't worry I'm not going to do anything unrational like kill myself or shut off my humanity. I'm just going with a more reasonable approach. I love you Elena Gilbert and until you're next to me again I just can't live like this anymore. Goodbye Elena."

Damon shoved Elena out of his thoughts and threw the vase by him to a nearby wall nearly missing a now frightened Bonnie Bennett.

"Damon, What the hell is wrong with you?" she said eyes wide in terror.

Damon's thoughts turned dark as he rushed over to where Bonnie stood and grabbed her by the throat. He knew that she could have used her witch powers on him, but at this moment he didn't care. Any pain was worth not feeling the pain he felt in his soul.

He felt Bonnie starting her spell, but it never reached him before Stefan separated both of them shoving Damon to the ground. Damon recovered quickly, but Bonnie seemed to have collapsed in Stefan's arms gasping for breath.

"Damon, what the hell is wrong with you?" Stefan said trying to hold onto Bonnie.

"She is Stefan. If it wasn't for Bonnie, Elena would be alive right now and I wouldn't be in this much pain, but don't worry brother. I don't plan to feel this way for long."

And before Stefan could utter a single word, Damon had vanished into the darkness of the night with a plan in his mind and only one person left to turn to.


	2. Chapter 2

Like A Thousand Suns

Chapter 2

Damon listened to the music that filled the New Orleans streets as he finally tracked down Klaus's address. He really hated to ask Klaus for help, but he just couldn't take the pain of Elena being gone for much longer. He had to do this for himself and for the other people around him. He took in a deep breath and knocked on Klaus's door.

Klaus answered with a look of surprise on his face.

"Damon Salvatore to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I need your help. May I come in?"

"You're going to do what you're going to do anyway Damon, so go ahead."

Damon went into the house and turned to Klaus. He hated asking this man for any favors, but he had to get this over with.

"I need you to compel me."

"To do what?"

"I'm sure by now you've heard about Elena. I'd be shocked if blonde didn't tell you."

"Caroline and I don't really talk anymore, but go ahead with your point."

"I need you to compel me to forget about Elena."

"Why would you want to forget about the love of your life Damon? Aren't you and her working on your miserable vampire existence together?"

"Not anymore."

"Why did she finally wise up and go back to Stefan?"

"No. Elena isn't really here right now."

"What do you mean by that? I really don't keep up with Mystic Falls drama anymore."

"Elena took the cure, and don't ask me how it's possible because it's a long story, but she got into an accident of sort involving a warlock named Kai put an enchanting sleeping curse on her that will stay into effect until her friend Bonnie dies."

"Wow that is genius really. I should visit Mystic Falls more often when I'm not dealing with things here."

"So will you help me or not?"

"Why would I help you Damon? We're not friends."

"Because you know if you could you would do it too."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I heard about you and Caroline sleeping together. Has she called me ever since?"

"Don't you dare bring her up."

"Why not? Wouldn't you compel your feelings away if she ever died?"

"People die all the time Damon. It's our decision how we deal with it."

"Well this is my decision Klaus and I need your help with this."

Klaus rolled his eyes and grabbed Damon by the head. Making him look Klaus in the eyes.

"You will forget Elena Gilbert and your love for her until she wakes up from this trance of hers. You will not remember a single moment of your life with her. You will remember everything when you see her again."

Damon closed his eyes and looked at the strange man before him. He had known of this man, but he never had met him in his life.

"Who are you?"

"That isn't important Damon. Go back home to your brother and your life in Mystic Falls. I guarantee you'll be happier there."

Damon nodded not trusting his voice as he left the house with a giant hole in his heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Like A Thousand Suns

Chapter 3

Damon stood on the clock tower as his eyes swept over Mystic Falls. All he could think about was that he was hungry and he needed something to satisfy his thirst. He spotted his prey and jumped from the clock tower smashing the girls head into the pavement as her brain matter spread all over it.

He smiled and lowered his head down to drink her blood. A scream erupted from someone's throat and Damon looked up to see his next victim. He got up and grabbed the girl by her throat lifting her up so she could hardly breath. She struggled as Damon watched the life fade from her eyes.

He opened his mother wide and sank his fangs into the girls throat as one final scream erupted from the girls throat. He pulled away from the girl and looked into her eyes.

"Would you please shut the fuck up?"

The girl screamed again and Damon rolled his eyes as he snapped her neck making her lifeless body crumple to the ground.

"I told you to shut the fuck up."

"Oh my God. Damon. What are you doing?"

He turned around to see an African American girl with her eyes wide in terror. She looked at her and boy did she look tasty. Maybe Damon could compel her and taste her in other ways before he killed her.

"Damon-"

"Who are you?"

"Damon. Elena wouldn't want you to do this."

He looked her in the eyes and flashed his fangs to her.

"Who the hell is Elena?"

"Damon this is no time to play games."

"Oh but I like games."

]He raced over to her and sank his fangs deep in her neck. She screamed and Damon enjoyed tasting her blood until someone threw him off. He looked up to see Stefan's bewildered face.

"Damon what are you doing? This is Bonnie this is your friend."

"I've never seen her in my life Stefan. She's just food to me."

"What are you talking about? This is Bonnie your girlfriend Elena's best friend!"

"Who the hell is Elena?"

Bonnie and Stefan exchanged looks as Damon looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Bonnie. You know what to do." Stefan told her.

All Damon heard was Bonnie's apology before he felt as if his head were about to explode and he passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

Like A Thousand Suns

Chapter 4

Damon groaned as he took in his surroundings ignoring the pounding in his head. Whatever that girl had done to him had seriously done some damage. He saw the vervain and realized that he was in the basement of the Salvatore boarding house. When he got out of this basement he was seriously going to kill Stefan.

"I see you're up."

He turned around and noticed the girl on the other side of the door. He really didn't like that she had kicked his ass with a little magic, but he had to admit he was intrigued by why she would do it. Maybe if he flirted with her long enough he could convince her to let him go.

"Who are you?"

"Look Damon I know you're still pissed off about Elena, but you know there's nothing I could have done about that."

"Who is this Elena chick that everyone talks about?"

"Damon this is no time to play games. What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you? I was just doing what a vampire does and now you won't stop talking about this Elena girl like she was someone I cared about or something. I already told you I don't know her. Maybe I ate her and I don't remember and for that I'm sorry. Just let me out of this cellar and I'll go somewhere else."

"Damon I know what happened to her is killing you inside, but trying to pretend you've never met her before won't help with the pain."

"I have no pain! I don't know who this Elena girl is! Plus the only pain I'm feeling is for you, because ever since I've met you you've been a giant pain in my ass!"

"Why do you know me, but not Elena?"

"Because I met you yesterday or for however long I've been in this cellar."

Bonnie's eyebrows raised in confusion as she looked up something on her phone.

"What? Are you trying to google a witty comeback line on your phone?"

"No, just look."

She handed him her phone and he looked at a picture of a girl that looked a lot like Katherine but only nicer.

"Why do you have a picture of Katherine on your phone?"

"Damon this isn't Katherine. This is Elena."

"Why does she look like Katherine?"

Bonnie gave him a look that said she had figured something out.

"Damon, where is Katherine?"

"Stuck in the tomb last time I checked."

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"Damon, Katherine has been dead for a while now. Don't you remember that Stefan killed her?"

"No, but thanks for pissing me off more."

"Damon, Who is Elena Gilbert?"

"She's a girl I've never met and now have no desire to. Now if you don't excuse me I would like to wallow in my pity a little longer."

"Don't worry Damon I'll find a way to fix this. There has to be a way to fix this."

Damon gave Bonnie one last look before lying down and closing his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Like a Thousand Suns

Chapter 5

Damon inhaled and exhaled waiting for the next person to come by. Being without blood for a week now was really starting to get to him. Why the hell did they keep him in here? He had done nothing really wrong. And he had no clue why they kept mentioning this Elena person as if she meant anything to him.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember anything that had happened with this Elena girl, but everytime he tried he would come up blank. Damon sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. This was torture. If he didn't die from bloodlust he would surely die from boredom.

Then he heard footsteps. Finally someone to talk to. Stefan opened the door and stepped into the room placing his hand on Damon's temple. He was about to ask Stefan what the hell he was doing when something hit him hard and he was transported to a place entirely different.

He looked around, but the setting was fimilar to him. Suddenly the girl who looked like Katherine came up to him and placed her hands on his face and kissed him. The kiss felt so fimilar to him. But how was that possible?

"Come back to me Damon." She said.

"Who are you?"

"You know who I am. You just can't remember."

"Why can't I remember?"

"I don't know. That's up to you to figure out."

Damon sucked in a deep breath as he returned to the cellar and Stefan. Who was she? He didn't know, but he knew one thing for sure. He was determined to figure out what had happened to make him forget her.


	6. Chapter 6

Like A Thousand Suns

Chapter 6

Damon had finally had enough and was ready to surrender to whatever plan Stefan had for him. He coughed hoping that Stefan would hear him.

"Stefan."

Stefan's face appeared on the other side of the door as Damon looked up at him with pain feeled eyes.

"I give up." he said.

"What?"

"I'll do whatever you want. I'll try to remember Elena. Just please let me out of here."

"I just have one more condition."

"What's that?"

"You have to promise not to hurt anyone."

"Okay I promise. Just don't leave me in here."

Stefan nodded as he unlocked the door carrying a glass of blood in his hand. Damon grabbed it and guzzled it down like it had been days since he had fed. Stupid torture tactics.

"So where do we start?"

"At the one place I can think of. Elena's coffin."


	7. Chapter 7

Like a Thousand Suns

Chapter 7

After being in a stupid cell for God knows how long, Damon could only come up with one conscience thought. He really needed to get out of Salvatore manner and get himself a real drink. As long as he kept himself in check, he should be able not to harm a human. After all that's what he was supposedly working on while he was dating Elena. Elena. The name still meant nothing to him, but she had supposedly meant everything to him before this had all happened. He still didn't get how come he couldn't remember her, but he would try. She apparently deserved that much.

Damon sighed as he entered the bar and was surprised to see a familiar face. The face belonged to Alaric saltzman and it had been a while since they actually had had a drink together. Damon didn't remember much about the last time they spoke, but he thought it had something to do with Alaric's deceased wife Jo. Such a tragedy. One that had a lot of blank holes surrounding it.

He sat on the barstool by Alaric's and looked at him.

"How are you doing buddy?"

"You know I wish that sometimes I could forget Jo, but I would be an idiot if I did that."

"I know I did something wrong. No one has filled me in."

"You erased your memories of Elena."

"That's the thing. I don't know who any of you are taking about. I don't know Elena."

"That's because someone compelled you to forget. Damon she was the love of your life. How could you not remember her?"

"Compulsion is a very strong thing."

"Not if you fight it. You have to fight it Damon or else it takes you over. "

"I think it already has Alaric. Can you show me a picture of Elena?"

Alaric nodded and showed Damon a similar picture his brother had showed him. Damn she looked a lot like katherine, but he imagined she was kinder and sweeter. He still had all his memory of Katherine. Why did he have none of Elena. All these holes were confusing and he wished he would have asked someone to fill them in a little bit, but for now he didn't want to do much else.

He ordered a glass of bourbon as Alaric pulled his phone away.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Jo." he said.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Elena."

"What happened to her?" he said holding Alaric's gaze.

"You'll find out soon enough."


	8. Chapter 8

Like a Thousand Suns

Chapter 8

The sun shined in the crypt as he looked upon the coffin of Elena Gilbert. The girl he once loved. He didn't know why he couldn't open the coffin all he knew was that he couldn't see her face anymore. He couldn't see if seeing her would trigger a memory in his subconscious. He wanted to remember. Why had he even decided to do this in the first place. He had to know what had happened to her.

A loud crunch made him turn around abruptly as he saw Stefan appear in the crypt. What was he doing here?

"I have an idea." he said.

"And what is that?"

"Maybe if I show you a memory of Elena that I was there for it'll trigger some of your memories of her."

"That's might just be crazy enough to work." he said looking at her coffin.

He wished he could remember anything about her that night. It was as if she was erased from that horrible situation in the first place.

"I want you to show me Jo and Alaric's wedding I want to know what happened."

"Damon, that's not a good first memory to provoke."

"Please, I just need to know what happened to her."

Stefan sighed quickly touching her coffin before touching Damon on the shoulder and getting into his mind showing him the awful memory.

He saw him and Elena walking down the isle arm and arms. She the maid of honor and him the best man. She seemed happy as could be in his arms. He couldn't believe he would ever forget something so beautiful.

Than the beautiful memory turned sour. Jo got stabbed from behind instantly killing her as Alaric held onto her. Than Kai appeared. Shock filled both Elena and Damon's face as Kai did something that sent them propelling through the air and Elena landed somewhere away from Damon.

The next thing Stefan showed him was Damon hovering over Elena. She was unconscious and wouldn't wake up, so much more different than earlier when Damon was holding her with so much life and they were planning their future. Wait. That wasn't one of Stefan's memories it was working.

Suddenly Damon was pulled from Stefan's memory and into one of his own. One where him and Elena were promising to be human together. He just couldn't wait to be her husband and her soulmate. They would be together for the rest of their lives. Than the sex came and the cuddling afterwards. Everything before the wedding that happened came back to him and than everything afterwards. All the pain of losing her was back, but none of his other memories were. He wanted to remember. He wanted more of her in his memory than this, but he needed to move on with his life as well. She was gone at least for now and he knew that she wouldn't want him to be like this. He should have never had his memories away.

He backed away from Stefan looking down at her coffin. He really was sorry. Now he had to do everything to make it right and he would. He just had to figure out how.


	9. Chapter 9

Like A Thousand Suns

Chapter 9

Brown hair swayed in the corner of Damon's vision as he opened his eyes to see a beautiful girl laying in his arms. He had no idea who she was, but he did know something about her seemed very familiar. She stirred as he sat up taking in the surroundings around them. They were in a field full of flowers with a small pond beside them. It really was a romantic setting.

He turned his face back to the girl who was now stirring mere minutes away from waking up. He didn't know what he would say to her if he had no real idea who she was. But where had he seen her before. Than the vision Stefan had showed him popped up into his mind and he finally had his answer. This was Elena. The girl who had been put into a coma. The girl he had once loved.

Before he could do anything else her eyes fluttered open as a look of shock crossed her face. But if he was dreaming why did she look so shocked?

"Damon?"

He didn't answer her as if he did than this really would be real. He couldn't explain why he felt as if this dream was the real thing, but it felt too real not to be.

"Elena?" He asked more as a question than anything else.

"What are you doing here? I told you before that this was just gonna keep torturing you and I don't want that for you. You're the best guy I know Damon and you deserve all the happiness in the world."

"To be honest Elena. I don't know why exactly I'm here. I was sleeping and the next moment I'm here with you. Where is here by the way?"

"You don't remember?"

"It seems as if I'm not remembering much these days."

A look of concern flashed across her face before she answered his question.

"This is my subconscious. I'm kind of stuck here until Kai's curse is broken."

"Oh."

She took a step closer to him as heat radiated from her almost like she was a super nova. He felt the attraction that he used to have before but he still couldn't really remember all the times we shared together.

"Damon, What's going on? You seem different."

"That's because I am different Elena and if I told you what was really happening with me than you would probably hate me for what I did."

"I would never hate you Damon. No matter what happens I will always be here for you. Just tell me what's wrong."

Damon took a deep breath as he replayed the details back to her. She nodded in understanding even though Damon is not sure why she would. He would be livid if he were in her shoes.

"Why are you being so understanding about this?"

"Because believe it or not Damon whether or not you remember this or not there was a time when I did the same thing."

Damon looked at her in shock, but waited to hear what she had to say.

"I thought you were gone forever but I was wrong and I did something monumentally stupid. I had a vampire who could compel other vampires take away my memories of us and you fought like hell to make me remember them."

"Did you ever get them back?"

"I did, but it took me turning back into a human for me to get them back. But that was just because the vampire who turned me got turned back into a human so it's not too late for you, you can still go back to whoever took your memories away and they can undo the compulsion it's as simple as that."

"But how could I convince them to give them back?"

"I know you'll find a way."

Before he could say a thing, Elena stepped closer to him and her lips touched his while she let a single tear out.

"I love you Damon Salvatore, I hope someday you'll remember that."

"I hope so too." He said as Elena disappeared into a ray of light.

Gasping awake, Damon sat up and looked around to see that he was in the Salvatore crypt with his hand on Elena's casket. He took it off and stood up wondering why his self conscious self decided to bring him here in the first place.

Rubbing his eyes, he made his way out of the crypt determined to get his memory back however long it took him to accomplish it.


End file.
